Iran has expelled a German diplomat for "undiplomatic" behaviour, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday in the wake of a report that Germany had expelled an Iranian consular attache last July.
"Responsible authorities recognised that this person was engaging in undiplomatic behavior and has to leave Iran," ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters during his weekly briefing, without revealing the diplomat's name or giving any additional information.
A German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said late Saturday that she could only "confirm that a German diplomat has left Iran," but declined to elaborate.
The German weekly Der Spiegel, citing no sources, reported last month that an Iranian consular attache had been expelled last July. The diplomat, identified only as Mohraramali D., had contacted a specialist firm in Bavaria, apparently in hopes of buying a component that could be used in the uranium enrichment process, Der Spiegel reported.
The Foreign Ministry in Berlin refused to confirm the report at the time and declined to do so again Saturday. Iran has declined to comment on the report.
Germany is one of the countries negotiating with Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme, which the US and others fear intends to build nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
The relationship between Germany and Iran has been strained at times since Iran's 1979 revolution.
AP, Tehran
"Responsible authorities recognised that this person was engaging in undiplomatic behavior and has to leave Iran," ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters during his weekly briefing, without revealing the diplomat's name or giving any additional information.
A German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said late Saturday that she could only "confirm that a German diplomat has left Iran," but declined to elaborate.
The German weekly Der Spiegel, citing no sources, reported last month that an Iranian consular attache had been expelled last July. The diplomat, identified only as Mohraramali D., had contacted a specialist firm in Bavaria, apparently in hopes of buying a component that could be used in the uranium enrichment process, Der Spiegel reported.
The Foreign Ministry in Berlin refused to confirm the report at the time and declined to do so again Saturday. Iran has declined to comment on the report.
Germany is one of the countries negotiating with Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme, which the US and others fear intends to build nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
The relationship between Germany and Iran has been strained at times since Iran's 1979 revolution.
AP, Tehran
